Ericson 38 in NJ $16k [Sold to a new forum member]

[gc_sailor]

Just saw this on Craigslist

Ericson 38

Ericson 38 - boats - by owner - marine sale

Ericson 38 Good Shape New Yanmar Roller furling New Radar Ready to sail

cnj.craigslist.org

 

[tenders]

A boat like that...priced like that...pictured and described like that (ie barely, and not even a production year)...what legitimate seller does that?

 

[kiwisailor]

Maybe a yard sale to cover storage costs?

 

[Tin Kicker]

Looks like a scam, smells like a scam, priced like a . . .

 

[Loren Beach]

Ohhh.... I do want to believe... what a deal!
Could actually be 'as stated' and is priced to sell within hours.... to settle an estate for a family that really does want to move on. Such things do happen.
Or more likely there is vital (and not pleasant) info missing from the ad.
Interesting to know the back story, but quite unlikely that we ever will.

 

[gc_sailor]

Since I started the thread I will try to find out more info. As I just bought a very low priced 34-2 I'm not in the market.

 

[gc_sailor]

Here is some additional information from the broker/seller:

"It is a 1984 in pretty good shape. Sails are good. Inside is good but had some leaking. The owners have moved to the islands and just want it sold. It is a good deal. It has some scratches but shows well"

 

[Loren Beach]

Wonder if it is (original interior bulkheads) E-38, or is the (slightly more practical, imho) model E-381?
I believe that Christian has the 381, with more storage forward and no ss wood stove on a bulkhead.

 

[gstepler]

Boat's name is "Grey Goose", owner retired to Puerto Rico and it had previously been listed on both CL and Yachtworld as far back as August last year. I have the descriptions and photos from both listings, as well as contact info for the owner, if anyone is interested. A little too far away for a casual investigative road trip. Another forum member and I are curious if this may be a Salvage Title situation as the owner conveyed to both of us (separately) that the boat suffered some damage during Sandy. And to answer Loren's query, the layout matches the 381 not the 38.

 

[patrscoe]

That's odd. When I was looking at my 34-2 November 2018, I could be wrong but I could have sworn I saw this sailboat for sale on Craigslists at that time. It was in the high teens, and I called a few times but eventually I shrugged it off as a sailboat that was more trouble than I wanted to deal with. Been down that road before.

 

[Christian Williams]

There's not much wrong with a 1984 E381 that can't be fixed at a sale of 15K. Hurricane damage excluded.

The buyer would have to be reasonably near Sea Girt, have a suitable restoration environment (slip or hard), and hands-on capability.

If the engine is OK, I'd say sails, rigging, upholstery and basic instruments would not much exceed 20K. The rest is to taste.

The trouble is, and here is where dreamers go wrong, doing everything yourself is probably a two-to-five year job if it's not your only job. On the other hand, that's how long it takes to build an RV-4 airplane, which I would have done if Ericson hadn't got in the way.








s

 

[nquigley]

I agree entirely with Christian's assessments of the restoration feasibility, cost and time vs. the $16K asking price (never pay asking price for a used boat).
I've adopted the "x Pi" rule of thumb for boat maintenance, repair and restoration when converting my initial estimate (time, cost, complexity) to a more realistic value. I installed an electric windlass last year - items purchased were >2x what I planned initially, the difficulty factor was >3x what I anticipated, and it took me at least 5x as many hands-on hours to complete as I guessed in the beginning!

 

[Marinarius]

My records indicate this boat has a 2005 Yanmar engine, 2006 Mainsail, 2018 135% Genoa, 5' draft, autopilot, radar and dodger. (from the YW listing)

But I have excluded the 381 in favor of the 38-200.

 

[cdesopo]

We looked at this boat last weekend & took some pictures if anyone is interested. The broker said it was tied to a mooring during Sandy & it has the damage you would expect from hitting the neighboring boats. He did say the owners took the insurance money & ran but he did not think it was a Salvage Title.

 

[Christian Williams]

Pictures? You bet! We all can learn something from damage and can discuss how to fix it.

(The new forum software makes uploading easy)

 

[tenders]

The reality: “The broker said it was tied to a mooring during Sandy & it has the damage you would expect from hitting the neighboring boats.”

The ad: “good condition.”

Do misleading descriptions sell boats faster? Sounds like a recipe for a lot of fruitless conversations/showings.

 

[TLEO]

Hello, following up with picture's of the Grey Goose listed on Craig's list in Sea Bright NJ. In my new boat persons opinion this boat was in good shape, the damage from Sandy looks to be only cosmetic, the Inside however was crawling with a thick mold smell which was a pass for me. here are our photos.

 

[TLEO]

Grey Goose photo's 2

 

[TLEO]

Grey Goose,

 

[Loren Beach]

Regarding the interior......
Our boat had sat, growing mildew, for three years when we bought it as a fixer-upper.
My takeaway is that, after trying and failing to 'clean' the whole cushion, laundering the cushion foam is a waste of time. When it's old and flat and full of black mold, just toss it.
We did (cautiously) launder the covers several times in mild soap with some bleach. They did not fray or come apart, but that was probably the limit for that sort of therapy.
With new hi-density foam, and some zipper repairs, they went back in in '95, and still look, sit, and sleep good. The covers are -$$- expensive to replace unless you can sew your own. Note that we remove them to our dry and warm home every fall -- opens up the interior of the boat better.

Part 2: you have to clean under ALL interior parts..... cleaner and bleach. Get that black mold and dirt off the hull. Once deep-cleaned, you have to do a lesser cleaning about every other year. There will always be some moisture / condensation, and that attracts dirt and dirt attracts mold and mildew. So, no matter what boat you own, Cleanliness is a Good Thing.